New York's Hottest Club
by alittlenutjob
Summary: Inspired by a line that never made it to the screen. Richie sees his brother is ailing and tries to help.


"Richie you were right, this bitch is hilarious!" Ramon giggled as they watched Danny pace between the door and the kitchen island, wiping his hands absently on his jeans, never quite making it either to the door or the island.

Richie smiled at Ramon, but regarded his brother with a troubled look. He suspected it was about Mindy, but if Danny wasn't ready to talk about it then there wasn't a force on earth that would get it out of him. "Hey, Dan? Ramon and I were gonna go out for a drink after dinner. I kinda figured you'd have plans with Mindy, but if you're free we'd love for you to come out with us."

Ramon gave him a curious look before chiming in his agreement. "Yes! Come out with us!"

"I don't know, Rich. It's pretty late."

"Danny, it's 8:30. Try again."

"Fine. Maybe I don't feel like it."

"Still not good enough. The whole point of going out for a drink is to feel better." He stepped closer and put his hand on Danny's shoulder. "Come on, you and I haven't been out on the town since I was too young to get in the clubs without a fake ID."

A faint smile crossed Danny's face, chased by a memory that seemed to spur Danny into action. He clapped his hands together and smiled. "Alright. I'll go."

* * *

"Richie, this is a gay bar." Danny looked around placidly, but with a little wrinkle of surprise in his brow.

"Danny, where did you think we were going?"

"I dunno. Maybe like a sports bar?" Danny had ordered a triple bourbon and already killed it, and was waving at the bartender to order again. The bartender must have had a type because neither Castellano brother was getting ignored.

Richie sipped his beer. "I can't think of anything I'd like less than going to a sports bar. Matter of fact, I can't think of anything you'd like less. At least here you can dance."

"How'd you hear about this place?"

Ramon cut in. "We met this weird barista who said this was New York's hottest club. He was wearing an Ed Hardy shirt. It's 2014!"

Richie nodded solemnly. "It's 2014."

Danny read a sign above the bar out loud. "Human hockey pucks. What are human hockey pucks?"

"It's that thing where," Ramon began.

Richie cut him off. "Don't tell him. He doesn't want to know. Danny, you don't want to know."

"Okay." Ramon smiled and took off into the crowd.

They watched Ramon make his way across the club, his shirt already off and a drink he didn't pay for in his hand. It was so ridiculous, the childlike glee that drove Ramon to do things like try to swallow sparklers and strip the second he hit a dancefloor, but that's what Richie loved about him. If there was something the Castellano brothers needed in their lives it was a sunnier, bolder person who could draw them out of their heads and into the world.

Richie's eyes settled on Danny's worried face. "Don't look so worried. You'll probably get hit on a bit, but the drinks are cheap and the music is great."

"Hit on? You know I don't care about that." Danny waved dismissively. "I just... I've got some things on my mind."

"I can see that. Want to talk about it?"

"Not really, but..."

"I'm gonna make you."

"I know." They smiled at each other and Richie ordered them another drink and waited patiently for Danny to talk.

"Mindy's on a date." Danny's eyes were unfocused, like he was miles away.

"Mindy, your co-worker?"

"Yeah, she was Mindy my girlfriend for a while, but we broke up."

"Why?"

"It just seemed better to break it off now than wait until we had a chance to screw each other up too much."

"Right." Richie's eyebrow raised skeptically of its own accord.

Danny frowned at him and refocused on the dance floor. "So...Ramon seems like a pretty nice guy."

"He's great." Richie looked on fondly as Ramon worked the crowd.

"I didn't think you guys were gonna get back together. You've kinda been off and on for a while."

"More off than on," Richie agreed.

"But you think it's gonna work out this time?" Danny asked with a cautious look.

"I really do."

"And you aren't, you know, scared of it?"

"Are you kidding me? Of course I'm scared. I wouldn't know it was real if I wasn't scared. Who's scared of losing of something if they don't really love it?"

"Love? You love him?"

"I wouldn't be bringing him home to meet you and Ma if I didn't."

"My baby brother's in love." Danny shook his head. "Like, you told him and everything?"

"Actually I haven't." Richie turned and shouted into the crowd "Ramon!"

"Yeah, baby?"

"I love you."

A smug smiled crept across Ramon's lips. "I know."

"Jesus!" Danny swore. "It's that easy for you?"

"No, Danny. It's terrifying." He clapped his brother on the back. "But it's worth it."

Ramon finally wove his way back to them and pulled Richie into a hug. He looked over his shoulder at Danny's anxious face and whispered to Richie, "What's up with this bitch?"

Richie pulled away and gestured at Danny. "Mindy's on a date."

"Well good for Mindy!" Ramon looked confused as Danny's face fell.

"Bad for Danny." Richie shook his head. "Danny's afraid to tell Mindy he loves her."

"Richie! That's my personal, private business." Danny groaned.

"She's not here, Danny. No one cares. Matter of fact, why don't you say it out loud here. I bet you haven't even said it out loud to yourself."

"No, I'm not gonna do that."

"Who's gonna hear you?" Richie waved around at the bar, catching Ramon's hand and squeezing it briefly before Ramon took off into the crowd again.

"If I can't say it to her why would I say it to a bunch of strangers?"

"Because you're making me crazy! You've been pining for two days now when you're supposed to be hanging out with me. You've gotta be making yourself crazy too." Richie tapped Danny's forehead. "What's it like in there?"

Danny slapped his hand away. "Screw you, Richie."

At that moment the music stopped, and the brothers Castellano turned as one toward the DJ booth to find Ramon standing next to the DJ, who was leering appreciatively as he handed Ramon the mic. "Excuse me. Excuse me, guys. I'm Ramon."

"Hi Ramon!" The crowd intoned cheerfully.

"Nice to meet you," Ramon replied, throwing a little wink at Richie. "My friend Danny has something he needs to get off his chest."

"No I don't!" Danny's voice cracked as Richie gently prodded him towards the mic.

"Is he single?" a voice rang out from the back of the room.

"Sorry, guys, he's taken." The crowed hissed and booed playfully.

"Be nice!" Ramon purred into the mic. "He's had a fucked up night."

"Aww," the crowd chorused.

"I'm not taken," Danny protested.

"You really are." Richie took the mic from Ramon and pushed it into Danny's hand. "Say it, Danny. Or so help me I'll take the mic and start telling some Staten stories."

Danny turned the mic upside down and examined it like it was a magic wand, something too foreign to comprehend that had no business in his hands. He cleared his throat awkwardly. "Um, hi. I...uh..."

"Spit it out!" shouted the same guy from earlier.

"Do I have to do this?" Danny gave Richie a pained look.

"I'll start with what really happened to Nonna's wedding shoes."

"You wouldn't."

"You know I would."

"Fine." Danny took a deep breath and put the mic to his lips. "I'm in love with someone."

"Yay!" A rousing cheer bolstered his confidence. Danny smiled and shouted back. "And I'm gonna tell her!"

"Who cares?" replied the horny heckler from before, and the DJ started the music back up since the entertainment was clearly over.

Danny grabbed Richie's arm and pulled him and Ramon back toward the bar. "Why did you make me do that?"

"How do you feel?"

"I feel... good."

"Alright. So stop complaining."

"Good for you Dr C," a gravelly voice chimed in from two stools over.

"Beverly?" Danny looked like he was going to faint right there. Richie caught his elbow and pushed him against the bar so he could lean.

"Hi, I'm Richie," he introduced himself to the stranger.

"I'm Beverly. Don't let anyone tell you any different," she said sternly.

"I won't." Richie smiled. "So how do you know Danny?"

"I work with him."

"You do?" Ramon chimed in with a grin.

"Yeah. I always thought there might be something there. I'm just glad he's gotten it off his chest."

"Me too," Richie agreed.

"I mean, he's like a foot taller than you, Dr C so I think the logistics of sex..."

"What?" Danny's voice cracked as he interrupted her.

"Morgan, the white nurse from work?"

"What? No. What?"

"You guys got engaged and I never heard anything about a wedding so I thought you called it off. I'm happy for you though."

"What?" It was Richie's turn to be shocked. "You got engaged to a man before I did?"

"It's a long story, Rich."

"Which you're going to tell me later."

"I have to clear this up first. Beverly, I'm in love with Mindy. You know, Dr L?" Danny looked faintly proud of himself.

"Oh, her! Well good luck with that." A look of confusion passed over her face. "If you're not gay, why are you in a gay bar?"

"Why are you in a gay bar?"

"What's it to you?"

"Nothing...I just... Beverly please don't say anything. I haven't even talked to her. I wouldn't have said anything, it's just I'm drunk, and it's so hot..."

Beverly waved at him. "Don't worry about it, guy. Your secret is safe with me. Largely because I don't care and I'll probably forget."

Richie leaned in close to Danny and slapped him on the back. "Well now you have to tell her."

"Oh God." Danny groaned.

"Let's get you out of here, get some coffee into you." Richie spun back and shouted into the crowd, "Ramon! Let's bounce."

The three of them made their way out into the cool night and much to Richie's relief Danny looked less and less panicked and a lot more... happy.

"You okay there, Dan?"

Danny smiled at his brother. "Yeah. I think I am."


End file.
